Taurine/sam-E/milk Thistle - Where To Buy?

[greysmom]

Hopper's neurologist suggested we add some natural supplementss to his regimen, so I'm looking for the best place to get them - cost-wise, and certified amounts. I'm looking for Taurine (to help the seizures), Sam-e, milk thistle, and vitamin E (for liver protection). There is a supplement I could get from the vet called Denamarin (sic), but for Hopper's size (80 lbs) and dosage the cost would be expensive. The vet himself said it would be cheaper to do it separately.

 

Where do you get yours?

[a_daerr]

I looked into Denamarin awhile ago for Henry.

Not sure about individual supplements, but you can get actual Denamarin on Amazon for a pretty reasonable price ($63 for a 30 day supply).

http://www.amazon.com/Nutramax-Denamarin-Tabs-Large-Dogs

[dante2zoe]

I have gotten some of these supplements from Costco, Puritan's Pride and the Vitamin Shoppe.

[FiveRoooooers]

Costco has Vitamin E in a humongous jar for very cheap. Milk thistle, IIRC, is available in an extract and another form, be sure to confirm with your vet which is appropriate for Hopper - it's been so long ago that my great dane got it that I can't remember, except that it came from a health food store.

[Guest grey_dreams]

If you do buy the supplements individually, it's best to choose a good manufacturer and then buy from Amazon. I prefer Solgar and Jarrow. I used to give Zuki the Solgar taurine, and have used the Solgar milk thistle. Human doses are averaged for 150 pounds, so most greyhounds can start with one-third of the recommended dose and go up to one-half of the recommended dose.

[GeorgeofNE]

Amazon.com

 

You can get Denamarine without a prescription too.

[TheFullHouse]

I get Bullitt's Denamarin from Costco. You can also get SamE, Milk Thistle and Vitamine E from Amazon. Since I'm a prime member, I don't pay shipping on anything.

[TINMANPDX]

I buy my own vitamins plus human grade fish oil and glucosamine chondroitin for the dogs at vitacost.com. I like the vitacost brand (but they carry other brands too)and they often have stuff bogo half off or free with free shipping if you buy 25.00 or more.

[tbhounds]

I wouldn't use anything but Denamarin. I know it's expensive but, it's standardized. As it hers have mentioned try amazon and Costco.

[Guest FreeholdHound]

I get all my human & dog supplements from Swansons (swansonvitamins.com)

[4My2Greys]

I wouldn't use anything but Denamarin. I know it's expensive but, it's standardized. As it hers have mentioned try amazon and Costco.

You can buy standardized Milk Thistle. I haven't found any Sam-e supplements to be standardized including that in Denamarin.

Let me clarify, I could not find any where on the information page for Denamarin that indicates that the Sam-e it contains is standardized.

I get all my human & dog supplements from Swansons (swansonvitamins.com)

This is also where I get a lot of my supplements.

Edited January 30, 2014 by 4My2Greys

[Batmom]

I think tbhounds means, Denamarin is said to contain a listed, consistent amount of the active ingredient, S-adenosylmethionine rather than simply "milk thistle seed extract," which may contain varying amounts of the active ingredient you want.

[4My2Greys]

I think tbhounds means, Denamarin is said to contain a listed, consistent amount of the active ingredient, S-adenosylmethionine rather than simply "milk thistle seed extract," which may contain varying amounts of the active ingredient you want.

I did a little more reading and it seems the major difference I could find is that Denamarin uses the most potent flavanoid silybin from milk thistle in their product, where as others, although also standardized, use silymarin. Life Extension however, has a milk thistle supplement which provides a higher amount of silybin (90 mg) in one softgel than is in the two tablet recommended dosage of denamarin, which would provide 70mg.

Editing to add the link for the Life Extension Milk Thistle.

 

http://m.lef.org/Vitamins-Supplements/Item01817/European-Milk-Thistle.html

Edited January 30, 2014 by 4My2Greys

[Batmom]

I wouldn't buy anything from the Life Extension Foundation.

[4My2Greys]

I wouldn't buy anything from the Life Extension Foundation.

And your reason would be???

[Batmom]

Scam.

[4My2Greys]

What because they sell supplements?

[4My2Greys]

I wouldn't buy anything from the Life Extension Foundation.

Chris not sure if you feel the same, but if you do here is another Milk Thistle product that is standardized to contain a specific range of silybin.

 

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-ultra-siliphos-milk-thistle-phytosome-300-mg-60-caps#label-panel

[Batmom]

Making unsubstantiated, hyperbolic, and at times flat-out ridiculous claims of what the supplements do, marketing things for low-T (testosterone), etc. Scammy stuff.

 

 

 

 

Supplements and nutraceuticals in general are a risky buy. Many don't contain what they say they contain and many are adulterated with other, sometimes dangerous substances.

[4My2Greys]

Well if you get right down to it Denamarin is a nutraceutical. So then I would ask what proof is there that Nutramax Labs, the distributor of Denamarin, is any more ethical than a company like Swanson.

[greysmom]

I'm looking at buying the supplements separately because, for Hopper's size, he needs 1 1/2 of the 425mg Denamarin tabs each day. A 30 tab package, even on Amazon is between $65 and $85 dollars, and that won't do me for a month. I *will* do this if necassary, but I would like to see if there's a less expensive option.

 

Looking for reputable supplement dealers with standardized amounts tested by the USPA is why I began this thread. I can do my own research, and will, but I wanted a place to start.

 

Thanks everyone!

[4My2Greys]

 

Looking for reputable supplement dealers with standardized amounts tested by the USPA is why I began this thread. I can do my own research, and will, but I wanted a place to start.

 

Thanks everyone!

I don't think you will find standardized amounts for Sam-e. What does U.S.P.A. stand for so I know what to look for before making any more recommendations.

[GreyTzu]

I wouldn't use anything but Denamarin. I know it's expensive but, it's standardized. As it hers have mentioned try amazon and Costco.

 

Exactly!! Denamarin is designed for dogs to be absorbed and utilized by dogs. Denamarin needs to be given on a empty tummy, about 2 hours after a meal and at least 2 hours before the next meal. I have bought Denamarin on eBay and Amazon with good success. You cannot use Sam E and/or milk thistle as a substitute for Denamarin. And generally the dog will only need Denamarin for 6 month to a year.

 

Everything I stated above was told to me and Kevin when Disco was diagnosed with Lepto in August of '12 by his million dollar Vet. By March I no longer needed to give him the Denamarin or the LD food. He is eating regular dog food, his treas, and is bouncing around the yard like crazy dog!!

[greysmom]

I don't think you will find standardized amounts for Sam-e. What does U.S.P.A. stand for so I know what to look for before making any more recommendations.

 

Sorry. It's just USP - United States Pharmacopeia. It's not an official agency, but one that is involved in (at least) testing and verification of natural supplements. On the advice of my own medical doctor, I only use supplements or vitamins with the USP Verified symbol, as defined below (from Wikipedia, which had the best, shortest description I found).

 

United States Pharmacopeia:

USP establishes written (documentary) and physical (reference) standards for medicines, food ingredients, dietary supplement products and ingredients. These standards are used by regulatory agencies and manufacturers to help to ensure that these products are of the appropriate identity, as well as strength, quality, purity, and consistency.

Prescription and over-the-counter medicines available in the United States must, by federal law, meet USP-NF public standards, where such standards exist. Many other countries use the USP-NF instead of issuing their own pharmacopeia, or to supplement their government pharmacopeia.

USP's standards for food ingredients can be found in its Food Chemicals Codex (FCC). The FCC is a compendium of standards used internationally for the quality and purity of food ingredients like preservatives, flavorings, colorings and nutrients. While the FCC is recognized in law in countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand, it currently does not have broad legal recognition in the United States. USP obtained the FCC from the Institute of Medicine in 2006. The IOM had published the first five editions of the FCC.

USP also conducts verification programs for dietary supplement products and ingredients. These are testing and audit programs. Products that meet the requirements of the program can display the USP Verified Dietary Supplement Mark on their labels. This is different from seeing the letters “USP” alone on a dietary supplement label, which means that the manufacturer is claiming to adhere to USP standards. USP does not test such products as it does with USP Verified products.